Did you know about Happy foods?
I noticed that my body craves certain foods when I am – stressed, lonely or just feeling low. On asking around I found out I am not the only one; there is a reason my sister trips on chocolate, friends love yoghurt and I love spicy food.
Mumbai based nutritionist Naini Setalvad says our bodies crave certain foods because they experience low endorphin levels due to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A lack of B vitamins - particularly B12 - and vitamin C, or of minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc, can cause one to feel low.
According to Delhi based nutritionist, Dr. Shikha Sharma our bodies produce their own uplifting chemicals; “endorphins are often triggered by foods associated to pleasant childhood memories, serotonin is a neuro-hormone associated with satiation, it affects the nerve ending receptors in the brain and catecholamine is also associated with happiness.” Dr. Sharma goes on to say “it is possible to raise the levels of these substances in the brain by eating foods that containing a combination of nutrients that trigger them, foods that trigger endorphins could be anything associated to pleasant, childhood memories like rajmah-rice, gobhi parathas, khichdi, Seratonin on the other hand is triggered by specific foods like milk, curd or cheese and catecholamine is triggered by foods like coffee, gol gappas and spicy chaats.
So here are some fun recipes I like to dish up on occasions when I could do with a little indulgence.
Chili
Whenever someone asks me what my most memorable meal has been, a recent lunch I had at a Thai food festival at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai comes to mind. A visiting Thai chef tossed together a Som Tam salad that was so spicy I was on a high all afternoon! Hot, spicy foods containing chillies or cayenne pepper trigger endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Endorphins have a powerful, almost narcotic, effect and make you feel good after exercising. Green papaya has no real flavor of its own but is the perfect medium through which robust flavor of ingredients like chillies, lime juice and fish sauce are carried. Ensure you select a papaya that is hard and shiny green with the flesh still light green, almost white, in color. Ideally this Salad would be made in a large clay mortar with a wooden pestle, but failing that I have found a large heavy sturdy bowl and a “mathni” work just as well. If multiplying this recipe, please ensure you mix a maximum of 2 portions at a time.
Thai Som Tam salad
2-5 Thai chilies (bird peppers or the spiciest red chilies you can find)
1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into 2-3 pieces
½ tbsp small dried prawns
1 cups julienned peeled green papaya (use the thickest option in your grater what you need is strips that are 2-3 inches in length and 1/8 inches in width.
1/3 cup French beans – cut into 1 ½ lengths
1 tbsp tamarind exract the consistency of syrup
Juice from 1 lime
3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp of thick palm sugar syrup (or jaggery) melt with 1 tbsp with q/2 tsp water
4-5 cherry tomatoes,
1 tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions
Combine the tamarind extract, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar or jaggery in a bowl and stir until combined to make the dressing.
Begin by dropping the garlic and chilies into the bowl and bounding into a coarse paste. Add dried shrimp and beans and pound so they are bruised. Add green papaya stir well with a fork and pound again so all the vegetables are bruised and absorb the heat and flavor of the chilies and garlic.
Add in half the dressing, stir in well and pound a bit more to blend everything together. Taste and adjust flavors to suit your palate’s preference of hot-sour-sweet-and-salty. Then add tomatoes and peanuts. Mix and bruise lightly to blend with the rest of the salad. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Accompaniments – Serve with steamed rice and a mild Thai curry for a full mail.
I noticed that my body craves certain foods when I am – stressed, lonely or just feeling low. On asking around I found out I am not the only one; there is a reason my sister trips on chocolate, friends love yoghurt and I love spicy food.
Mumbai based nutritionist Naini Setalvad says our bodies crave certain foods because they experience low endorphin levels due to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A lack of B vitamins - particularly B12 - and vitamin C, or of minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc, can cause one to feel low.
According to Delhi based nutritionist, Dr. Shikha Sharma our bodies produce their own uplifting chemicals; “endorphins are often triggered by foods associated to pleasant childhood memories, serotonin is a neuro-hormone associated with satiation, it affects the nerve ending receptors in the brain and catecholamine is also associated with happiness.” Dr. Sharma goes on to say “it is possible to raise the levels of these substances in the brain by eating foods that containing a combination of nutrients that trigger them, foods that trigger endorphins could be anything associated to pleasant, childhood memories like rajmah-rice, gobhi parathas, khichdi, Seratonin on the other hand is triggered by specific foods like milk, curd or cheese and catecholamine is triggered by foods like coffee, gol gappas and spicy chaats.
So here are some fun recipes I like to dish up on occasions when I could do with a little indulgence.
Chili
Whenever someone asks me what my most memorable meal has been, a recent lunch I had at a Thai food festival at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai comes to mind. A visiting Thai chef tossed together a Som Tam salad that was so spicy I was on a high all afternoon! Hot, spicy foods containing chillies or cayenne pepper trigger endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Endorphins have a powerful, almost narcotic, effect and make you feel good after exercising. Green papaya has no real flavor of its own but is the perfect medium through which robust flavor of ingredients like chillies, lime juice and fish sauce are carried. Ensure you select a papaya that is hard and shiny green with the flesh still light green, almost white, in color. Ideally this Salad would be made in a large clay mortar with a wooden pestle, but failing that I have found a large heavy sturdy bowl and a “mathni” work just as well. If multiplying this recipe, please ensure you mix a maximum of 2 portions at a time.
Thai Som Tam salad
2-5 Thai chilies (bird peppers or the spiciest red chilies you can find)
1-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into 2-3 pieces
½ tbsp small dried prawns
1 cups julienned peeled green papaya (use the thickest option in your grater what you need is strips that are 2-3 inches in length and 1/8 inches in width.
1/3 cup French beans – cut into 1 ½ lengths
1 tbsp tamarind exract the consistency of syrup
Juice from 1 lime
3-4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp of thick palm sugar syrup (or jaggery) melt with 1 tbsp with q/2 tsp water
4-5 cherry tomatoes,
1 tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions
Combine the tamarind extract, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar or jaggery in a bowl and stir until combined to make the dressing.
Begin by dropping the garlic and chilies into the bowl and bounding into a coarse paste. Add dried shrimp and beans and pound so they are bruised. Add green papaya stir well with a fork and pound again so all the vegetables are bruised and absorb the heat and flavor of the chilies and garlic.
Add in half the dressing, stir in well and pound a bit more to blend everything together. Taste and adjust flavors to suit your palate’s preference of hot-sour-sweet-and-salty. Then add tomatoes and peanuts. Mix and bruise lightly to blend with the rest of the salad. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Accompaniments – Serve with steamed rice and a mild Thai curry for a full mail.
Potato
I love potatoes, and I find, with their accessibility, and ease of cooking, potatoes are the most handy mood lifters and can be quite a healthy option. Think about it - just one average potato contains 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, as much or more potassium than either bananas, spinach or broccoli, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. Potatoes only get unhealthy when combined with fat, cheese and cream but here with the addition of and sesame seeds - a good source for protein, vitamin E and calcium and unsaturated healthy fats - you have a healthy, delicious snack or side dish.
I love potatoes, and I find, with their accessibility, and ease of cooking, potatoes are the most handy mood lifters and can be quite a healthy option. Think about it - just one average potato contains 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, as much or more potassium than either bananas, spinach or broccoli, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. Potatoes only get unhealthy when combined with fat, cheese and cream but here with the addition of and sesame seeds - a good source for protein, vitamin E and calcium and unsaturated healthy fats - you have a healthy, delicious snack or side dish.
Faux Gratin of Potatoes with yoghurt and sesame.
Time taken: 30 mins. Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 potatoes, boiled with very little water
1 cup yoghurt, hung for ½ hour
½ cup Toasted sesame seeds
1-2 green chilies
1 tsp oil
Salt
Directions
Place toasted Sesame in a blender and process to a paste.
Add green chilies and process until incorporated.
Add yoghurt and process again until incorporated completely (You should end up with a batter the consistency of dosa batter so add a little milk if it is too thick). Set aside.
Place a non stick frying an on a medium flame and brush with oil.
Slice the boiled potatoes into ½ inch thick rounds, arrange in a single layer in the frying pan as you slice. Pour the Yoghurt over the potato layer spreading with a spatula so everything is evenly covered. Raise flame to high and allow cook until the moisture has completely evaporated (about 10 minutes).
Accompaniments – Add a green salad dressed in a simple vinaigrette and you have a full meal.
Bananas
Rich in potassium - a vital mineral for nerve functions, bananas containing natural sugars that are quickly released into the bloodstream, make one feel energetic and the starchy carbohydrates they contain sustain good moods. This makes bananas one of nature's ideal snacks. Candied orange peel offers the perfect foil to these smoky caramelized bananas
Caramelized Bananas with candied orange floss Serves 1 Time taken: 10 mins
Ingredients
20 g butter
25 g brown sugar
2-3 slightly unripe firm bananas
2 tbsp orange peel
½ cup orange juice
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add sugar, allow the butter to caramelise the sugar. When the sugar is looking slightly golden all over, add the orange juice, cook on high until syrupy. Add bananas and turn a few times to coat. Remove bananas to serving plate, T the sauce in the pan add orange peel. Stir to coat and cook for 2 mins until crispy. Pours sauce and candied peel over the bananas.
Accompaniments – top with spiced warm custard or Vanilla icecream although I love them as is.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt contains vitamin b12 (lack of which can cause depression) and I find having some labneh in the fridge makes for a great quick snack with good bread. I first tried Labneh balls at the Souk restaurant at the Taj and totally fell in love with them. I found that they are quite easy to make. Although rolling them in chilli flakes deviates from tradition, they appeal to my Indian palatte that likes things spicy.
Ingredients
20 g butter
25 g brown sugar
2-3 slightly unripe firm bananas
2 tbsp orange peel
½ cup orange juice
Directions
Melt butter in a frying pan. Add sugar, allow the butter to caramelise the sugar. When the sugar is looking slightly golden all over, add the orange juice, cook on high until syrupy. Add bananas and turn a few times to coat. Remove bananas to serving plate, T the sauce in the pan add orange peel. Stir to coat and cook for 2 mins until crispy. Pours sauce and candied peel over the bananas.
Accompaniments – top with spiced warm custard or Vanilla icecream although I love them as is.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt contains vitamin b12 (lack of which can cause depression) and I find having some labneh in the fridge makes for a great quick snack with good bread. I first tried Labneh balls at the Souk restaurant at the Taj and totally fell in love with them. I found that they are quite easy to make. Although rolling them in chilli flakes deviates from tradition, they appeal to my Indian palatte that likes things spicy.
Middle Eastern Labneh Balls
Time taken: 10 minutes + 24 hours hanging time for yoghurt
Ingredients
1 kg yoghurt
1 clove garlic crushed to a paste
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp Salt
3 tbsp fine Red chili flakes
1 tbsp Crushed pepper
2 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp extra virgin Olive oil
Method
Place Yoghurt is a large bowl, add the salt, crushed garlic and chopped onion and mix well.
Place a thin clean muslin cloth over an empty bowl and spoon yoghurt mixture into it. Pull the corners together and tie together. Suspend this bundle from a stationary object over a bowl or tie to a rack in your fridge with a bowl underneath (to catch liquid). Allow to hang for about 24 hours. What you should aim for is yoghurt the consistency of cottage cheese. When you have this remove yoghurt form the cloth, cover and return to fridge until required. What you have is Labneh.
Place chili flakes in a small saucer and flatten into a thin layer.
Combine Oregano and pepper, place in a saucer and flatten into a thin layer.
To make (Labneh Makbus) or yoghurt cheese balls, remove Yoghurt from refrigerator, take about one tablespoon at a time an shape into smooth, round balls, roll in the chilli flakes or Pepper oregano mix and arrange on a tray. Return to fridge and chill until firm.
When firm and slightly dried out, they are ready for consumption. They can also be stored in a sterile, air tight jar, covered with olive oil in the fridge.
Accompaniments: Savour cut into halves, drizzled with olive oil accompanied by olives and fresh pita bread.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pictures Payal Choksi courtesy Indiasutra.com
Concept Text and styling - Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
0 comments:
Post a Comment